Rehoboth School Committee Elects Morse Vice Chair After Four-Ballot Stalemate

REHOBOTH — April 28, 2026 — Rehoboth's School Committee elected Chris Andrade chair unanimously but needed four rounds of balloting to seat Aaron Morse as vice chair at its April 28 reorganization meeting. Three successive votes each deadlocked 6-4 between Morse and challenger Joe Luca before Superintendent Bill Rooney, during a recess, urged the committee to find closure, telling members "I also was given a chance to lead this district with no experience, so there is also an understandable case to be made for somebody who hasn't had the role before to get the chance." Luca then withdrew, saying he did not want to "fracture our committee any further," and Morse was appointed 8-2, with Luca and Jefferson voting no. Luca was subsequently elected secretary 9-1. During public input, PTSA board representative Brody Powers placed a formal statement on the record accusing a committee member of making an unauthorized refund demand to vendor Creative Arts LLC following a disputed April 7 Echo Dance assembly — an event the PTSA said it had paid for directly from its own enrichment funds — and warning that defamatory public statements by elected officials could expose the district to legal action.